'Cost of degrees deters students'

Three-quarters of the public believe teenagers will be put off applying to university by the spiralling cost of a degree, according to research.

The National Union of Students renewed demands for Education Secretary Alan Johnson to reverse his policy of charging undergraduates top-up fees of £3,000 per year.

The union said students were angry about the charges and claimed thousands would descend on London from across the country for demonstrations against the policy.

A poll released to coincide with the protests found 74% of the public believed the rising costs of getting a degree - estimated to have reached £33,500 - would deter potential students while 53% said costs would discourage students "a lot".

NUS president Gemma Tumelty said the survey, by ICM, showed the public agreed with the union's campaign.

"Top-up fees will deter students, students who have the ability and aspiration to go university but cannot afford the price tag," she said.

Latest figures from admissions service Ucas found 15,000 fewer started university courses this autumn - "the equivalent of the entire population of Coventry University", she said.

"Students are angry, and calls for the £3,000 cap to be lifted are making them angrier.

"It is time that the Government stopped spinning this policy and started listening to us, to the students, to those paying the price.

"We believe the policy needs to be reversed. Any attempts to persist with it and to lift the cap on fees will mean that some students can afford the best - and others will be forced to make do with the rest."